---
title: "Cerebras"
description: "Learn how to configure and use Cerebras's ultra-fast inference with Cline. Experience up to 2,600 tokens per second with wafer-scale chip architecture and real-time reasoning models."
---

Cerebras delivers the world's fastest AI inference through their revolutionary wafer-scale chip architecture. Unlike traditional GPUs that shuttle model weights from external memory, Cerebras stores entire models on-chip, eliminating bandwidth bottlenecks and achieving speeds up to 2,600 tokens per second—often 20x faster than GPUs.

**Website:** [https://cloud.cerebras.ai/](https://cloud.cerebras.ai/)

### Getting an API Key

1.  **Sign Up/Sign In:** Go to [Cerebras Cloud](https://cloud.cerebras.ai/) and create an account or sign in.
2.  **Navigate to API Keys:** Access the API keys section in your dashboard.
3.  **Create a Key:** Generate a new API key. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Cline").
4.  **Copy the Key:** Copy the API key immediately. Store it securely.

### Supported Models

Cline supports the following Cerebras models:

-   `qwen-3-coder-480b-free` (Free tier) - High-performance coding model at no cost
-   `qwen-3-coder-480b` - Flagship 480B parameter coding model
-   `qwen-3-235b-a22b-instruct-2507` - Advanced instruction-following model
-   `qwen-3-235b-a22b-thinking-2507` - Reasoning model with step-by-step thinking
-   `llama-3.3-70b` - Meta's Llama 3.3 model optimized for speed
-   `qwen-3-32b` - Compact yet powerful model for general tasks

### Configuration in Cline

1.  **Open Cline Settings:** Click the settings icon (⚙️) in the Cline panel.
2.  **Select Provider:** Choose "Cerebras" from the "API Provider" dropdown.
3.  **Enter API Key:** Paste your Cerebras API key into the "Cerebras API Key" field.
4.  **Select Model:** Choose your desired model from the "Model" dropdown.
5.  **(Optional) Custom Base URL:** Most users won't need to adjust this setting.

### Cerebras's Wafer-Scale Advantage

Cerebras has fundamentally reimagined AI hardware architecture to solve the inference speed problem:

#### Wafer-Scale Architecture
Traditional GPUs use separate chips for compute and memory, forcing them to constantly shuttle model weights back and forth. Cerebras built the world's largest AI chip—a wafer-scale engine that stores entire models on-chip. No external memory, no bandwidth bottlenecks, no waiting.

#### Revolutionary Speed
- **Up to 2,600 tokens per second** - often 20x faster than GPUs
- **Single-second reasoning** - what used to take minutes now happens instantly
- **Real-time applications** - reasoning models become practical for interactive use
- **No bandwidth limits** - entire models stored on-chip eliminate memory bottlenecks

#### The Cerebras Scaling Law
Cerebras discovered that **faster inference enables smarter AI**. Modern reasoning models generate thousands of tokens as "internal monologue" before answering. On traditional hardware, this takes too long for real-time use. Cerebras makes reasoning models fast enough for everyday applications.

#### Quality Without Compromise
Unlike other speed optimizations that sacrifice accuracy, Cerebras maintains full model quality while delivering unprecedented speed. You get the intelligence of frontier models with the responsiveness of lightweight ones.

Learn more about Cerebras's technology in their blog posts:
- [The Cerebras Scaling Law: Faster Inference Is Smarter AI](https://www.cerebras.ai/blog/the-cerebras-scaling-law-faster-inference-is-smarter-ai)
- [Introducing Cerebras Code](https://www.cerebras.ai/blog/introducing-cerebras-code)

### Cerebras Code Plans

Cerebras offers specialized plans for developers:

#### Code Pro ($50/month)
- Access to Qwen3-Coder with fast, high-context completions
- Up to 24 million tokens per day
- Ideal for indie developers and weekend projects
- 3-4 hours of uninterrupted coding per day

#### Code Max ($200/month)
- Heavy coding workflow support
- Up to 120 million tokens per day
- Perfect for full-time development and multi-agent systems
- No weekly limits, no IDE lock-in

### Special Features

#### Free Tier
The `qwen-3-coder-480b-free` model provides access to high-performance inference at no cost—unique among speed-focused providers.

#### Real-Time Reasoning
Reasoning models like `qwen-3-235b-a22b-thinking-2507` can complete complex multi-step reasoning in under a second, making them practical for interactive development workflows.

#### Coding Specialization
Qwen3-Coder models are specifically optimized for programming tasks, delivering performance comparable to Claude Sonnet 4 and GPT-4.1 in coding benchmarks.

#### No IDE Lock-In
Works with any OpenAI-compatible tool—Cursor, Continue.dev, Cline, or any other editor that supports OpenAI endpoints.

### Tips and Notes

-   **Speed Advantage:** Cerebras excels at making reasoning models practical for real-time use. Perfect for agentic workflows that require multiple LLM calls.
-   **Free Tier:** Start with the free model to experience Cerebras speed before upgrading to paid plans.
-   **Context Windows:** Models support context windows ranging from 64K to 128K tokens for including substantial code context.
-   **Rate Limits:** Generous rate limits designed for development workflows. Check your dashboard for current limits.
-   **Pricing:** Competitive pricing with significant speed advantages. Visit [Cerebras Cloud](https://cloud.cerebras.ai/) for current rates.
-   **Real-Time Applications:** Ideal for applications where AI response time matters—code generation, debugging, and interactive development.
